All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 23

Paello’s eyes widened.

“…What?”

His reaction was so out of the blue that Lucienne lowered her voice.

“Was I… wrong?”

“…N-no.”

Startled, Paello withdrew his hands from Lucienne’s cheeks, and his face soon flushed red.

“I just wanted to make sure you were really okay.”

So it had been Lucienne’s misunderstanding.

‘Oh no. What did I just say?’

Lucienne lowered her head and covered her face with both hands. She didn’t know how to deal with the heat spreading across her cheeks.

But she quickly came to her senses.

“Ah. This isn’t the time for this.” Lucienne pointed to the floor and said, “There’s a hole here. Water is leaking in!”

Paello raised himself further and checked the spot near Lucienne’s feet.

The floor where the basket had been was cracked, and water was rushing in quickly.

“The bottom of the basket was not just soaked but sloshing, so I lifted it to check, and now it’s like this. The boat is going to sink soon. We have to call for help.”

Paello handed the silver goblet and bottle to Lucienne.

“Please hold onto these.”

“Why?”

“You seem to be fine, but these are still evidence.”

“?”

He then swept everything off the table with the oar and held out his hand to Lucienne.

“That side will submerge first. Please come over here.”

“Huh?”

“We could call for help, but judging by how fast the water is coming in, you’re right, it’s going to sink soon. I’ll try rowing fast.”

Given how fast he had moved the boat earlier, that might actually be better.

Lucienne moved to where Paello was. There was space to sit, but she hesitated.

“If I sit beside you, won’t I get in the way of rowing… Huh?”

Lucienne flinched mid-sentence.

He had pulled her onto his lap. He picked up the oars again.

“If you feel unbalanced, hold onto me.”

The boat started moving again.

The same spectacle unfolded once more. But as the boat filled with water, the speed gradually slowed.

People who had been watching absentmindedly finally realized what was happening and started shouting.

“Kyaaah! The boat with the Grand Duke of Ronatere is sinking!”

Chaos erupted at the dock. Rescue teams began forming.

The seat where Lucienne had been was now submerged, and the water reached over the table. The boat was tilting faster and faster.

“We’ll sink before reaching shore.”

“Your Grace. C-can you swim?”

“I don’t plan to swim.”

Paello immediately tossed aside the oars and lifted Lucienne into his arms.

“Y-Your Grace?”

“I’m going to jump. The impact might be strong, so hold tightly around my neck.”

“J-jump?”

Lucienne wrapped her arms around his neck as instructed.

The distance between the boat and the dock was clearly visible. They were almost there.

‘About ten meters?’

To jump that distance in one go, an ordinary person couldn’t possibly manage it.

But on second thought, Lucienne figured Paello might be able to.

People would surely be shocked.

A pleasant scent reached Lucienne’s nose. The familiar fragrance from their night together made her heart flutter again.

‘Why am I thinking about that now?’

As she scolded herself,  her body was lifted into the air.

Paello had pushed off one side of the boat and leaped toward the dock.

Lucienne’s eyes widened. Everything around her moved in slow motion.

The surface of the lake grew distant. The boat, kicked by Paello, flipped over in an instant.

As she turned her head slightly, she could see the faces of the onlookers. Their eyes and mouths were all wide open, as if they’d forgotten how to breathe.

A soft impact followed. Paello landed lightly on the dock.

He gently set Lucienne down and asked, “Are you all right, madam?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”

When Lucienne stood up, Paello looked around as well.

“Whew.”

One of the people standing stiffly finally let out a breath.

As if that was a signal, sighs of relief burst out one after another around them.

“Goodness!”

“Thank heavens!”

Someone by the boats clapped.

“It’s hard to believe even after seeing it!”

“The Grand Duke’s ability is incredible!”

Then, the onlookers jumped up and gave a round of applause.

“Impressive, Your Grace!”

“No wonder he can protect the border from the demons.”

“He’s so cool.”

“My word, to think someone that strong is your husband. The Grand Duchess must feel so secure.”

Meanwhile, the knights, boat managers, and the waiting doctor turned pale.

“A-are you all right?”

“We managed the boats properly, so how could this have happened?”

“There was enough water pooled to soak my shoes, so when I lifted the basket, the floor tore off completely…”

Just as Lucienne was about to explain the situation she understood, she caught herself.

It would sound like she ruined an entire boat and would have to apologize.

‘But if I brazen it out, won’t the Grand Duke regret coming along for the boat ride?’

All notions of marital loyalty aside, he’d want a divorce.

“If the basket was stuck to the floor, you should have said so in advance. Or fastened it properly so it wouldn’t fall off. Or sealed it so no water could leak in.”

“What? The basket was stuck to the floor?”

“That can’t be.”

At the boat managers’ doubts, Lucienne raised her chin. “What? Are you saying I’m lying? Who was in charge of the boat we were on?”

“If it was light blue, Max was managing it.”

One of the boat managers looked around and frowned.

“Huh? Where did Max go?”

Paello didn’t bother hiding his discomfort. “To think an imperial event could be so disorganized.”

At the same time, Lucienne was at a loss.

The depiction of poker-faced Paello in the original didn’t seem to match.

When she first met him, he had that stoic Grand Duke vibe. But now she saw so many expressions on him.

‘Did he only show those expressions in the original because he had little screen time?’

The knight, startled by Paello’s demeanor, bowed his head quickly. “I-I apologize for this situation! Your Grace! I will find him immediately and report after investigating the truth!”

“If it’s a matter of mismanagement, so be it, but that’s not the issue now. Catch that man and hand him over to the Grand Duke’s estate. But before that, there’s something I need to check.”

Paello showed the bottle and silver goblet in Lucienne’s hand to the knight and doctor.

Their eyes widened as they looked inside the goblet.

“W-what is this?”

“Heavens!”

The doctor began rummaging through his bag in a hurry.

The pale knight, dripping with cold sweat, spoke lowly to the other knights.

“T-there was a poisoning attempt. Make sure the food the honored guests are consuming is safe. Apprehend Max immediately, and ensure the Empress Dowager is not shocked by this.”

“Yes, sir!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the knights scattered in a rush.

Soon, the doctor quickly pulled out two potions. “This is a strong antidote. Ah, if there hasn’t been a reaction yet, it must not be a deadly poison, so this should work.”

Paello took the potion and held it out to Lucienne. “There may be a delayed reaction, so drink this for now.”

“You’re saying there was poison… in the drink I had?”

“The silver goblet turned black, didn’t it?”

Judging by the situation, it seemed so. But Lucienne couldn’t quite believe it.

“Come on, it probably wasn’t poison. I feel completely fine. You even saw me drink the whole bottle, didn’t you?”

It was true. The discolored goblet was unappetizing to look at, but her stomach felt fine.

She was actually disappointed. It was supposed to be strong alcohol, yet she didn’t even feel tipsy.

“It wasn’t poison?”

“No, it must’ve just been poor dishwashing. And Your Grace, please be careful with your words. If someone innocent ends up wrongly accused, can you take responsibility for that?”

“Someone innocent, huh?” Paello murmured and then nodded. “You make a point. Then it’s better to check.”

He brought the mouth of the empty bottle to his lips.

After licking the liquor with his tongue and swallowing it, his expression twisted, and he quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth.

“Cough.”

He gave a small cough and checked the handkerchief. What remained at the corner of his mouth, and what stained the handkerchief unmistakably, was dark, red-black blood.